Alfred A. Farland
Alfred Adolphus Farland Sr. (April 10, 1864 – May 5, 1954) was a Canadian-American banjoist, playing in the classic banjo style for more than 40 years. He played the banjo wearing a tuxedo, bringing an air of sophistication to the instrument, when the 19th-century image for a banjo player tended toward the comic, the racist and the crude. He had a reputation for entertaining "cultivated audiences" with banjo adaptations of European classical music. Farland's adaptations included Bach violin sonatas, Beethoven violin sonatas, a Mendelsson violin sonata, Brahms dances, and some of Chopin's nocturnes and waltzes. His performances of this kind of music on the banjo were seen in 1900 as successfully "stretching the limits of the instrument." Farland based his performances initially out of Pittsburg, but later moved to New York, in order to be closer to potential students during his off season. He wrote a banjo method and composed music for students to practice. Farland was also an inventor and designed his own line of banjos with wooden rims. He held patents for banjo-related inventions, including an all-metal banjo head and an adapter to produce harp-like tones from a banjo. |
Birth and Death Data: Born April 10, 1864 (Lachine), Died May 5, 1954 (Plainfield)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1917
Roles Represented in DAHR: banjo, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Edison | 5652 | 10-in. | 6/30/1917 | Carnival of Venice | Alfred A. Farland | Banjo solo | instrumentalist, banjo, arranger | |
Edison | 5837 | 10-in. | 10/6/1917 | Serenade | Alfred A. Farland | Banjo solo | instrumentalist, banjo |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Farland, Alfred A.," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/117062.
Farland, Alfred A.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/117062.
"Farland, Alfred A.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Farland, Alfred A. - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr2006024163
Wikidata: Alfred A. Farland - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q117798179
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/22105079
MusicBrainz: Alfred A. Farland - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/4e563ef4-acda-475f-84c9-7fb22715f161
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